Town Officials Huddle With Authorities As Threatening Emails Persist

BROOKFIELD, CT — Town officials continue to work closely with state and federal authorities after receipt of another threatening email, received Thursday morning.

Law enforcement authorities believe all the threats — which began last Friday and have continued every school day since — are not credible. Schools and town offices have remained open since Monday, after closing for a day following the first scare.

In an email to parents, faculty and the community, officials said the Connecticut Intelligence Center is aware that several other schools, including colleges, "across multiple states including Connecticut and in at least three countries are also receiving these types of swatting email."

"Swatting" is a prank designed to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address.

"Authorities believe that these threats are simply restatements of the previous threats by individuals that are trying to gain notoriety by sending them," First Selectman Steve Dunn, Superintendent John Barile and Chief of Police John Puglisi said in the note.

Consequently, town officials said they would no longer address every single email threat that comes into the town and schools, but will continue to forward those kinds of emails to the police department.

Responding to each threat "lends unwarranted gravitas to these bad actors by responding to them individually. It is not in the best interest of our students, our residents, and our town to do so."

Officials said they will notify residents if the threat level changes, and the school resource officers will continue to work with school administration and town officials to implement precautionary measures.